Charmaine Dragun
Encyclopedia
Charmaine Dragun (21 March 1978 – 2 November 2007) was an Australia
n broadcast journalist and presenter. She was, with Tim Webster
, the regular presenter of Ten News
Perth
's 5pm bulletin, which was broadcast at the time from the TEN-10
Sydney
studios at Pyrmont
. Dragun had also filled in on Ten's national Morning News & Weekend News bulletins and presented Ten Late News
on Fridays.
After graduating from Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
, she had a distinguished career in radio journalism before joining Ten as a reporter and, subsequently, an presenter. She suffered from depression and anorexia from the age of 18 and committed suicide on Friday 2 November 2007.
, began her career as a radio journalist, working in the newsrooms at Perth's 6PR
and 96FM
stations. Her efforts earned her nomination for Young Journalist Of The Year and won the Best radio reports. After moving to Ten, she turned to court reporting and filled in as Ten News presenter over the summers of 2003 and 2004 before being appointed permanent news presenter for Perth's Ten News at Five (presented at the time from Sydney) from 4 July 2005. Dragun's fellow presenter, veteran broadcaster Tim Webster
described her as "one of the most professional I’ve ever seen, very meticulous, [...] if she made a mistake she was distraught about it."
to Simon Struthers (forensic pathologist
with NSW police, bass guitar
ist for Adam Said Galore
and photographer), with the pair planning to marry at their joint 30th birthday celebrations.
shortly after her 18th birthday after lewd comments about her figure were made by workers at a construction site, followed by a drop in weight from 52 kg to 39 kg (115 lbs to 86 lbs). Dragun saw a psychologist
who recommended a course of antidepressants. Eight months before leaving for Sydney, Dragun told her mother that the drugs "numb[ed] her feelings and was not really working for her." Dragun sought out a Perth doctor who took her off the antidepressants. Although initially successful, within six weeks, Dragun’s parents had realised there was a problem.
In mid September, three weeks before her death, Dragun again changed her medication. Dragun called her mother and spoke with her and Struthers and whilst speaking with her mother said "Mum, for the first time I have thought about suicide
." Dragun had previously told Sarah Bamford (a friend and colleague) that it was something "she would never, ever do."
. Earlier, in the morning, Dragun dropped her car off for a service and took the bus home. Dragun was due to present the 5 pm news for Perth and Ten Late News
on the day she died, but instead drove past the network's Pyrmont studios and continued on to the Gap. For approximately two hours Dragun sat at Jacob’s Ladder, an action she had taken before; she then sent a text message to Struthers. Network Ten staff in Perth and Sydney were only informed of her death 15 minutes before the 5pm programme was due to air.
A funeral was held 10 days later at All Saints Church in Greenwood, Western Australia
.
suburb of Sydney. The Deputy State Coroner, Malcolm McPherson, ruled that Dragun's suicide could have been prevented if doctors had correctly diagnosed a bipolar II disorder and administered the right treatment. His findings also noted that the ease of access to the cliff edge at the Gap had been a causal factor.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n broadcast journalist and presenter. She was, with Tim Webster
Tim Webster
Tim Webster is a Australian television and radio personality. He currently is a fill-in presenter for Ten News....
, the regular presenter of Ten News
Ten News
Ten News is the national news service of Network Ten in Australia. The majority of its news bulletins are presented from the TEN-10 studios in Pyrmont...
Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
's 5pm bulletin, which was broadcast at the time from the TEN-10
TEN-10
TEN is the callsign of Network Ten's flagship Sydney television station. It was originally owned and operated by United Telecasters Sydney Limited , and began transmission on 5 April 1965 with the highlight of the opening night being the variety special TV Spells Magic.-History:TEN often lagged in...
Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
studios at Pyrmont
Pyrmont, New South Wales
Pyrmont is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Pyrmont is located 2 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Sydney...
. Dragun had also filled in on Ten's national Morning News & Weekend News bulletins and presented Ten Late News
Ten Late News and Sports Tonight
Ten Late News and Sports Tonight was an Australian late night television news program, broadcast on Network Ten for over 20 years.-History:...
on Fridays.
After graduating from Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts , Edith Cowan University was established in 1980 to provide performing arts tuition comparable to the highest calibre of national and international training benchmarks to be able to meet industry needs around the globe.The school is located in the...
, she had a distinguished career in radio journalism before joining Ten as a reporter and, subsequently, an presenter. She suffered from depression and anorexia from the age of 18 and committed suicide on Friday 2 November 2007.
Career
Dragun, a graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing ArtsWestern Australian Academy of Performing Arts
The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts , Edith Cowan University was established in 1980 to provide performing arts tuition comparable to the highest calibre of national and international training benchmarks to be able to meet industry needs around the globe.The school is located in the...
, began her career as a radio journalist, working in the newsrooms at Perth's 6PR
6PR
6PR, known as 882 6PR, is a commercial radio station based in Perth, Australia. Its focus is on news, talk and sport, and is Perth's only commercial talkback radio station. 6PR is owned by Fairfax Media, an Australian media company that owns television and radio businesses throughout Australia and...
and 96FM
96FM
96FM can refer to:* Cork's 96FM, a Radio station in Cork, Ireland* 96fm , a Radio station in Perth, Western Australia...
stations. Her efforts earned her nomination for Young Journalist Of The Year and won the Best radio reports. After moving to Ten, she turned to court reporting and filled in as Ten News presenter over the summers of 2003 and 2004 before being appointed permanent news presenter for Perth's Ten News at Five (presented at the time from Sydney) from 4 July 2005. Dragun's fellow presenter, veteran broadcaster Tim Webster
Tim Webster
Tim Webster is a Australian television and radio personality. He currently is a fill-in presenter for Ten News....
described her as "one of the most professional I’ve ever seen, very meticulous, [...] if she made a mistake she was distraught about it."
Personal life
Dragun was engagedEngagement
An engagement or betrothal is a promise to marry, and also the period of time between proposal and marriage which may be lengthy or trivial. During this period, a couple is said to be betrothed, affianced, engaged to be married, or simply engaged...
to Simon Struthers (forensic pathologist
Forensic pathology
Forensic pathology is a branch of pathology concerned with determining the cause of death by examination of a corpse. The autopsy is performed by the pathologist at the request of a coroner or medical examiner usually during the investigation of criminal law cases and civil law cases in some...
with NSW police, bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
ist for Adam Said Galore
Adam Said Galore
Adam Said Galore is a three piece indie rock band from Perth, Western Australia.- History :The band was formed in 1994, by Andrew Ryan, Simon Struthers, Matt Maguire and Michael Lake, from Perth, Western Australia...
and photographer), with the pair planning to marry at their joint 30th birthday celebrations.
Depression and anorexia
Dragun's mother stated that Charmaine had struggled with AnorexiaAnorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Although commonly called "anorexia", that term on its own denotes any symptomatic loss of appetite and is not strictly accurate...
shortly after her 18th birthday after lewd comments about her figure were made by workers at a construction site, followed by a drop in weight from 52 kg to 39 kg (115 lbs to 86 lbs). Dragun saw a psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
who recommended a course of antidepressants. Eight months before leaving for Sydney, Dragun told her mother that the drugs "numb[ed] her feelings and was not really working for her." Dragun sought out a Perth doctor who took her off the antidepressants. Although initially successful, within six weeks, Dragun’s parents had realised there was a problem.
In mid September, three weeks before her death, Dragun again changed her medication. Dragun called her mother and spoke with her and Struthers and whilst speaking with her mother said "Mum, for the first time I have thought about suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
." Dragun had previously told Sarah Bamford (a friend and colleague) that it was something "she would never, ever do."
Suicide
Shortly before 4:00 pm on Friday 2 November 2007, Dragun committed suicide by jumping from The Gap in Sydney's Eastern SuburbsEastern Suburbs (Sydney)
The Eastern Suburbs is a general term used to describe the metropolitan area directly to the east and south-east of the Sydney central business district in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Eastern Suburbs can refer to the suburbs within the local government areas of Woollahra, Waverley, Dover...
. Earlier, in the morning, Dragun dropped her car off for a service and took the bus home. Dragun was due to present the 5 pm news for Perth and Ten Late News
Ten Late News and Sports Tonight
Ten Late News and Sports Tonight was an Australian late night television news program, broadcast on Network Ten for over 20 years.-History:...
on the day she died, but instead drove past the network's Pyrmont studios and continued on to the Gap. For approximately two hours Dragun sat at Jacob’s Ladder, an action she had taken before; she then sent a text message to Struthers. Network Ten staff in Perth and Sydney were only informed of her death 15 minutes before the 5pm programme was due to air.
A funeral was held 10 days later at All Saints Church in Greenwood, Western Australia
Greenwood, Western Australia
Greenwood, is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located in the City of Joondalup. The suburb is located 18 km from Perth's central business district.-History:...
.
Inquest
During 2010, an official inquest into the medical support surrounding Dragun at the time of her death was held by the Coroner's Court of New South Wales in the GlebeGlebe, New South Wales
Glebe is an inner-city suburb of Sydney. Glebe is located 3 km south-west of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney, in the Inner West region....
suburb of Sydney. The Deputy State Coroner, Malcolm McPherson, ruled that Dragun's suicide could have been prevented if doctors had correctly diagnosed a bipolar II disorder and administered the right treatment. His findings also noted that the ease of access to the cliff edge at the Gap had been a causal factor.
See also
- beyondblueBeyondbluebeyondblue is an Australian non-profit organisation which aims to increase awareness and improve the treatment of depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders and related mental disorders...
- Lifeline (counselling service)Lifeline (Counselling service)Lifeline is a free, 24 hour telephone counselling service in Australia. Volunteer counsellors provide suicide prevention, crisis support and mental health services via telephone. This service can be accessed by calling 13 11 14 within Australia....
- Major Depressive Disorder